Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Oven Baked Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

I love this recipe for Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya - the kind that builds flavor, layer upon layer, with herbs, seasonings, and seared or roasted meats. The primary success tool for making a proper jambalaya to me though, is that it should be cooked in a cast iron dutch oven. All of this takes just a bit more time to pull off but it produces a nice, fluffy jambalaya, without worrying over a pot on the top of the stove.

This version of jambalaya is what is considered to be Cajun - that is, not Creole Jambalaya - as in lacking in tomatoes and shrimp. As far as "spicy heat" goes, my seasonings here give a nice, respectable bite, but are not gonna set your mouth on fire. Some people have the misconception that "spicy" Cajun and Creole foods equal loading down dishes with a lot of red pepper, and nothing could be further from the truth.

There is a load of layered flavor in this jambalaya from the roasted meats and the combination of the other seasonings, that you won't need to mask it with a lot of red pepper. If you like foods super spicy, you can certainly substitute spicy andouille sausage - which has a very high heat level, and really, often a little too high for this gal - for the smoked sausage, and up the Cajun seasonings to your taste. There is nothing worse than trying to eat something that somebody has loaded down with cayenne or black pepper trying to "spice" it up, to point that you can't even taste the food any longer. We like spicy down here, but we like flavor with some kick even better! Save the hot pepper sauce for the table.

As far as the meats go, you can certainly pan sear the chicken and sausage, but this time of year when the temperatures are down just a bit (well, sorta anyway), I just love everything about roasting the meats in the oven. Any kind of chicken works with this, though I personally favor thighs for their flavor and ability to retain moisture, or at least a mixed cut up chicken. I used bone-in chicken breasts this time because that is what I had on hand, and if you are going to use only white meat, I do suggest the addition of some butter just before it hits the oven. You'll need the added fat. I do nothing extravagant with the chicken to roast it; just a bit of oil, salt and pepper to start.

Don't use boneless, skinless chicken for this recipe, because you'll want the flavor that comes from both the bone and the fat of the skin. The dogs will be eagerly waiting at your feet as you peel the skin away.

Just plain sauteed onion this time, with a mixture of herbs and basic seasonings, and some good chicken stock is where you'll be starting.

I absolutely love smoked sausage roasted off in the oven this way - it is so delicious that you will not be able to help but to pop a few pieces in your mouth as you chop them up. Toss in long grain white rice, equal to half the measure of the liquid.

Once the broth and rice comes to a boil, you'll add the chopped chicken and sausage to the pot.

Throw in some slices of cold butter, give it a good stir, cover it and bake it at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. When you pull it out of the oven, grab a big fork and fluff it up a bit before serving it hot out of the pot, with just a light sprinkle of chopped parsley.

Just one little cooking note. Y'all know that I am all about making recipes your own and so I keep my mouth politely shut {mostly} when it comes to other folks methods of cooking. But I have run across a few bloggers here lately who have posted jambalaya that resembled more of a soup - liquid with rice floating in it. While I have little doubt that it was tasty, it most assuredly is not what jambalaya should look like! Perfect jambalaya should be fluffy and most certainly should not be soupy in any way, shape or form. Think, fluffy white rice with stuff in it - that is how it should look! Enjoy.

3 to 4 tablespoons of butter, cut into chunks (can omit if using dark or mixed chicken)

Chopped parsley, to garnish

Hot pepper sauce, for the table

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a baking pan in the oven. Dredge the chicken in the butter and olive oil mix turning to coat both sides. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Line the sausages on the pan with the chicken. Roast for 15 minutes; turn the chicken and the sausage and return to the oven to finish cooking – another 20 to 30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Drain on a paper towel and set aside to cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a large cast iron dutch oven, heat the olive oil and saute the onion until tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the thyme, basil, black pepper, white pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Coarsely chop up the roasted sausage; skin, debone and chop the chicken. When stock comes to a boil, add the rice and stir in. Return to a boil. Add the chicken and sausage, dot with butter, if using, stir, cover the pot and place it into the oven.

Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Spoon into serving dishes with a side salad or green veggie, and a bottle of hot pepper sauce at the table. Makes a massive amount of jambalaya. Reheat leftovers covered in the microwave.

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Do you know how hard it is to find a dish that EVERYONE loves at the same time???? Of course you do, you're a mom & wife! LOLI made this today & let me just say.. it was a grand slam! All three of my kids loved it, my mom loved it.. and I loved it. My hubs didn't get to try it yet, but I'm sure he'll love it too. He's not big on rice, but he'll eat a little now and then. I didn't have thyme, so I used Herbs de Provence. I ALWAYS have chicken stock on hand, but I was out, so I used beef stock instead & it was still yummy (I called it dirty jambalaya lol!) I didn't use as much chicken as I should have, but that can be easily corrected next time. Thank you for a perfect Jambalaya recipe! It's so hard to find good authentic Cajun recipes. I will trust all of yours happily!

I don't add shrimp to this recipe but I do have the shrimp version of jambalaya here. You'll see that it is similar but has some variation in the ingredients, including the addition of tomatoes. I prefer that one for shrimp. Hope that helps!

Not at all silly. Although you can cook this completely on the stovetop, and many folks do, I prefer the oven baked texture, so for my method I do not cook the rice all the way through. When the stock comes to a boil, you'll add in the rice, bring it back to a boil, add the meats, dot with butter, stir, cover and transfer to the oven.

I was going to make Cajun roast beef po-boys for dinner yesterday, but the meat didn't thaw as quickly as I had hoped. I was scrounging for something else Cajun or Creole to make since we were acknowledging Mardi Gras in our house in Washington. ;) I remembered this dish and was able to pull the ingredients together. I think I had make it once before, but after last night I will be making it many, many more times!!! I don't always enjoy foods that I cook, especially when I am in a hurry and things don't seem to be clicking along (which describes my meal prep last night), but I loved this! And the whole family did, too. I was worried it would be too spicy, but no one complained and most had seconds. Thanks so much for this website and your great recipes!!!

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